Possible new trial date for former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes revealed following delayed pregnancy

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes will likely face trial on wire fraud within the next six weeks after prosecutors and her defense team requested a delay due to pregnancy. She was due to stand trial from July 13 of this year.

Lawyers on Friday submitted a case to Judge Edward Davila asking that the trial be postponed until August 31. Both parties have accepted the change.

“On March 2, 2021, the defendant’s lawyer informed the government that the defendant was pregnant, with a due date scheduled for July 2020,” the joint filing states.

“The parties have met and spoken, and both parties agree that, in light of these developments, it is not possible to open the trial on July 13, 2021, as currently scheduled.”

The judge has yet to rule on a delay, but since the prosecution and defense have requested it, it is likely to be granted. This would likely see Holmes stand trial on the requested date – August 31 – but the judge can choose to exercise his discretion at the precise time,

Holmes and former Theranos COO Sunny Balwani face a dozen wire fraud charges related to their time at the company.

Holmes and Balwani both potentially face 20 years in federal prison if convicted. Holmes’ trial was originally scheduled for July 28, 2020, but has been delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded by Holmes in 2003 with the intention of revolutionizing blood testing, Theranos said it had created a machine that would perform hundreds of lab blood tests from just one or two blood shots.

The company invested over $ 700 million and quickly became a media sensation. Theranos was once valued at $ 9 billion. However, Holmes was later accused of misleading investors, doctors and patients when it emerged that Theranos’ claims were false. She was indicted in 2018.

“Based on these statements, several hundred patients have paid or compelled their medical insurance companies to pay Theranos for blood tests and test results, sometimes as a result of recommendations from their defrauded doctors,” according to the Holmes’ original indictment.

“This indictment alleges a corporate conspiracy to defraud financial investors,” FBI Special Agent John Bennett said in 2018. “This conspiracy misled doctors and patients about the reliability of medical tests which endanger health and life. “

Holmes’ legal team has expressed intention to elevate his mental state as part of his defense, writing in a previous court file that they would introduce material “relating to mental illness or defect or any other condition. mind of the defendant relating … to the question of guilt. “

Prosecutors were given the right to examine Holmes’ mental health and two experts, a psychologist and a psychiatrist, were granted the same rights.